The Singles Bar: The Motion Epic questions ‘Ulterior Motives’

Welcome to The Singles Bar, a review series focused on new single and song releases.

You’ve gotta know what you’re fighting for or you’ll die for the wrong reasons. The stakes are high; you’re pulse is throbbing in your throat; and you question the very nature of your being. You can waste away, unsure if your lover is being honest, or you can walk away and let it all fall away. Synth-pop dancer The Motion Epic (real name Pat DiMeo) incites an ’80s glitter-rave in much of his work, and on the heels of “Temporary Lovers” (listen in our Taste Test debut), he heaves out tear-soaked provocation with “Ulterior Motives,” a burning out of the end of a cigarette, remnants of smoke curling his nostrils and tattooing his skin.

“Did you tell your mother about us?” he inquires, even though he already knows the answer ⎯⎯ as devastating as it may be, he’s come to accept it. “She likes the thought of you and me / I’ve got my fists against the wall / My heart pounding in my skull…” A solo write, the crystalline ballad, which ascends into arena-styled rock with a poisonous guitar solo, percolates with a kind of slow drip that shakes down to the core, thanks to producer Andreas Koliakoudakis.

There’s no mistaking or mangling DiMeo’s own truths here, which he hangs like drenched and wrinkled laundry on the line. The sun cuts like knives into the crisp morning air, and his heart bites frost in nearly straggled chomps. Later, he sings, fuming, “Now, you’re with him.” But he doesn’t linger on the pain. Instead, he turns to protect his bare chest at all costs, the wounds swollen and aching. “Can’t keep going like this / I should be the one to walk away / You’ve got ulterior motives / At least, be honest…”

“Ulterior Motives” is another succulent primer for his forthcoming EP, expected this October.

Listen below:

Follow The Motion Epic on his socials: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website